Why first round of 2026 NBA Draft is taking place on a Tuesday

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Why first round of 2026 NBA Draft is taking place on a Tuesday originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

For years, NBA fans knew exactly when draft night was coming. The NBA Draft traditionally took place on a Thursday night in late June, creating one of the league's biggest offseason events just days after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. This year, however, the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is being held on a Tuesday, leaving some fans wondering why the league moved one of its marquee events away from its longtime spot on the calendar.

The answer comes down to a format change the NBA introduced last year.

The NBA wanted to give the draft its own spotlight​

The 2026 NBA Draft will once again be conducted over two nights, with the first round taking place Tuesday night and the second round following on Wednesday. For decades, both rounds were completed in a single evening. But league officials opted to split the event into two separate nights beginning with the 2025 draft, giving teams more time to evaluate second-round options and allowing prospects selected later in the draft to receive more attention.

The change also created additional television inventory for the NBA and its broadcast partners, turning what had been a one-night event into a two-day showcase.

MORE: Why Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards is suddenly in NBA trade rumors

Tuesday became the new opening night​

With the draft stretched across two evenings, the NBA shifted the first round to Tuesday and the second round to Wednesday. That scheduling setup remains in place for 2026, meaning fans will once again see the biggest names in the class come off the board on a Tuesday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The first round is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN, while the second round will air Wednesday night.

Plenty of drama awaits in Brooklyn​

The scheduling change may be the biggest difference from previous years, but the intrigue surrounding this year's draft remains as high as ever. BYU star AJ Dybantsa is widely expected to become the No. 1 overall pick, while Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson are projected to follow shortly after.

Trade speculation could also dominate the evening following the blockbuster deal that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Miami Heat. Whether fans love or hate the new format, one thing is clear: Tuesday is now the unofficial start of one of the NBA's most important weeks of the year.

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• Who is Yaxel Lendeborg's girlfriend? Meet Tacarra Shyann and her relationship timeline with NBA Draft prospect
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